When I moved to Southern California from South Africa in the 1970s, what could have been a culture shock instead felt like a homecoming. I fell in love with the California coastline that reminded me so much of my roots in one of the most scenic coasts in the world. Since I moved to the U.S. and started my firm, Gafcon, I am still focused on oceanfront projects and feel a deep responsibility for how we develop our precious shorelines.

​My thesis at Cape Town University was to work on a solution for a mixed-use vision for the city’s historic working waterfront. The project was an inspiration that stayed with me throughout my career. As my work at Gafcon has grown to involve major coastal assets, I notice an alarming trend on how we plan and build places where we live, work and play.​

‘The beautiful game is about trust and instinct. There are not many people I trust more…

SAN DIEGO (October 25, 2017) — Capping off a week of spirited engagement with local communities from across the region, Demba Ba announced today that long-time soccer coach and player development specialist Alexandre Gontran will lead San Diego’s 1904 Football Club as General Manager and Head of Football Operations. The club also announced it is finalizing a lease with SoCal Sports Complex at El Corazon Park in Oceanside as the team’s permanent home venue.

​“The beautiful game is about trust and instinct. There are not many people I trust more than Alex,” said Demba Ba, who was groomed by Gontran the past 15 years. The two met in 2003 when Ba was 16. Gontran developed Ba into a world-class athlete who fulfilled his dream of signing a professional contract with European giant Chelsea Football Club in 2013.

​SAN DIEGO (October 18, 2017) — The region’s newest professional sports organization proudly announced today that it will officially be known as 1904 Football Club. Along with a description of the club name’s origin, the team unveiled a brand video to share their story.

1904 // A name inspired for and by the people of its representative city. A fellow supporter and most importantly, a San Diegan, suggested 1904, deriving from S, the 19th letter of the alphabet, paired with D, the 4th letter, making 1904 an iconic name for San Diego soccer. From the start, this team has been deeply rooted in its interest and appeal to the street culture here, making Nineteen O’Four and the many variations of this name absolutely fitting. Finally, we have chosen to use Football Club because of what we're steadily moving towards, to bring San Diego football and its valued players to the world.

Colors/Logo // 1904 FC’s colors are as simple as the game itself. A game where one team must score just one more goal than the other. Black and white also represent both the darkness (challenges) of sports and the light (victory). The telescope represents the club’s long-term vision and commitment to the region, along with its goal of developing local football talent and helping young players achieve their dreams of playing international soccer. It also symbolizes the club’s connection to the city’s long-standing commitment, described as Semper Vigilans, which means ever vigilant, on the city seal.

Councilman Chris Cate’s disclosure of a memo written by the city attorney was neither illegal nor improper. It is not a crime to do your job, to request and gather additional information in order to make an informed decision.

By Tony Manolatos ​

Councilman Chris Cate was a policy adviser to then-Councilman Kevin Faulconer when I met him. He was the wonkiest guy in the room then and few at City Hall can match his grasp of public policy today. I recently heard him preface his questions at a City Council hearing by saying, “I’m going to get in the weeds here.”

Cate gets in the weeds because he cares. He believes in what the city is doing. He has a freakish affinity for protecting taxpayers, so you won’t be surprised to learn he reads everything. He studies all sides of an issue before making a decision. He did so as an executive with the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. He did so as a Council representative, and he does so as a City Council member. He has earned the respect of people on both sides of the political aisle because he’s smart and because he’s one of the nicest guys in any room.

​So people were surprised when this affable wonk stepped forward to say he was the one who shared a memorandum from the city attorney that was marked confidential.